[ Austin Wildfire Preparedness Initiatives Press Conference on November 7, 2025.]
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WELL, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.
I'M AUSTIN MAYOR KIRK WATSON, AND ON OCTOBER 20TH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, THROUGH MY EFFORTS AS MAYOR, DECLARED A LOCAL DISASTER DUE TO THE INCREASED WILDFIRE RISK ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS.
MANY OF YOU, UH, THAT ARE IN THE ROOM JOINED US.
UH, DURING THAT ANNOUNCEMENT, THAT DECLARATION REINFORCED WHAT WE ALL INTUITIVELY SEEM TO KNOW AND WHAT WE'VE ALL SEEN THESE PAST FEW DAYS, DRIER CONDITIONS AND HIGH WINDS HAVE CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVEN SMALL SPARKS CAN HAVE SERIOUS IMPACTS.
JUST LAST WEEK, THERE WAS A 20 ACRE FIRE IN SOUTHEAST AUSTIN SINCE THAT DECLARATION AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT, THE CITY HAS MOVED VERY FAST TO STRENGTHEN PREPAREDNESS, UPDATE RESOURCES, AND IMPORTANTLY, TO CONNECT DIRECTLY WITH MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, BUT IT BEARS REPEATING AUSTIN RANKS FIFTH IN THE NATION FOR THE NUMBER OF HOMES AT RISK FOR WILDFIRE.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE AS COMMUNITY LEADERS TAKE ACTION TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THIS RISK AND THE STEPS THEY CAN TAKE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.
WHILE WE'RE ALSO PLANNING FOR HOW TO PREPARE FOR AND TO RESPOND TO AND RECOVER FROM DISASTERS, YOU MAY ASK, WHY ARE WE HAVING ANOTHER PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT WHY FIRES? THAT IS HOW IMPORTANT WE THINK THIS ISSUE IS.
THIS IS THE KIND OF THING WE WANT TO BE PREPARED FOR, AND WE WANT THE COMMUNITY TO BE AWARE OF.
THIS MONTH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND ITS PARTNERS, AND YOU'RE GETTING READY TO HEAR FROM MY COLLEAGUE AND, AND PARTNER IN SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.
JUDGE ANDY BROWN ARE PARTICIPATING IN WHAT IS CALLED EMBER NOVEMBER.
EMBER NOVEMBER, AND THAT'S A MONTH LONG EFFORT PROMOTING WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS, DEFENSIBLE SPACE PRACTICES, AND FIREWISE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNITY EVENTS.
AS PART OF THIS EFFORT, THE CITY IS ADVANCING TWO MAJOR PLANNING INITIATIVES THAT WILL SHAPE HOW WE PREPARE FOR AND RESPOND TO WILDFIRE RISK IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
FIRST IS WHAT WE'RE CALLING THE ALL HAZARDS PROTECTIVE ACTION PLAN.
AND SECOND IS THE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN, THE ALL HAZARDS PROTECTIVE ACTION PLAN, AND THE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN.
LAST WEEK, WE HOSTED THE FIRST COMMUNITY MEETING ON WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS AND ALL HAZARDS EVACUATION PLANNING IN COUNCIL DISTRICT 10, AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FROM DISTRICT 10, MARK UCHIN FOR HIS ROLE IN SUPPORTING WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH REGARD TO, UH, WILDFIRE PREPARATION.
BUT THIS PREPAREDNESS AND ALL HAZARDS EVACUATION PLANNING IN DISTRICT 10 PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO LEARN ABOUT BEST PRACTICES IN PREPARATION FOR HAZARDS AND EVACUATIONS, INCLUDING WILDFIRES.
AND I'LL SAY IT WAS A GREAT START.
MEMBERS OF THAT DISTRICT SHOWED REAL INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT EVACUATION PLANS, HOME HARDENING, HOW THE DIFFERENT PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES WORK TOGETHER, AND OVERALL NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL RISK REDUCTION.
AND AGAIN, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE WE REALLY WANT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, OUR HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS, OUR COMMUNITY GROUPS TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS.
THIS MEETING WAS THE KICKOFF TO A BROADER CITYWIDE SERIES OF COMMUNITY SESSIONS THAT WILL CONTINUE ACROSS OTHER COUNCIL DISTRICTS IN THE COMING WEEKS.
IF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, YOUR HOMEOWNER'S ASSOCIATION, OR YOUR COMMUNITY GROUP WOULD LIKE TO HOST ONE OF THESE EVENTS, I REALLY DEEPLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO REQUEST, UH, A PRESENTATION.
AND THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS THROUGH READY CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG.
PLEASE GO TO THAT IF YOU'RE THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION OR A HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION OR SOME COMMUNITY GROUP.
IF YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT OF THOSE GROUPS, PLEASE GO TO READY CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG AND ASK FOR A PRESENTATION AS IT RELATES TO WILDFIRE.
I REALLY HOPE THAT YOU'LL DO THIS.
YESTERDAY, THE AL THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN READ A PROCLAMATION THAT I HAD PRESENT, UH, PUT, UH, SIGNED, RECOGNIZING THE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN'S IMPORTANCE, AND THAT PROCLAMATION ALSO REAFFIRMED OUR CITY'S COMMITMENT TO WILDFIRE READINESS.
THIS ACTION HIGHLIGHTS OUR COMMITMENT
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TO LEADERSHIP IN PROACTIVE WILDFIRE MITIGATION, EMERGENCY COORDINATION, AND PUBLIC OUTREACH.TOMORROW, THE CITY AND ITS PARTNERS WILL JOIN THE LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER FOR DISCOVERY DAY, A FAMILY ORIENTED CELEBRATION OF NATURE SCIENCE, AND PLAY WITH A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF FIRE AND MAINTAINING HEALTHY LANDSCAPES.
AND THEN NEXT WEEK, AUSTIN WILL HOST THE WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS USA 2025 CONFERENCE ON NOVEMBER 11TH AND 12TH.
THAT TWO DAY EVENT WILL BRING TOGETHER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, EMERGENCY MANAGERS, AND PUBLIC SAFETY LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO DISCUSS WILDFIRE RESPONSE, EVACUATION PLANNING, AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, AND HIGHLIGHTING AUSTIN'S ROLE AS A COLLABORATIVE PARTNER IN ADVANCING WILDFIRE READINESS AT BOTH THE LOCAL AND THE NATIONAL LEVEL.
FROM THE OCTOBER 20TH DISASTER DECLARATION TO THE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN TO COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER EVENTS, AUSTIN IS COMMITTED TO ADVANCING A UNIFIED PROACTIVE APPROACH WHEN IT COMES TO WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS.
I ASK THE COMMUNITY TO JOIN US IN THIS COMMUNITY.
MEMBERS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO LEARN MORE, TO CHECK THEIR WILDFIRE RISK AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON BY VISITING A TX WILDFIRE HUB.COM, ATX WILDFIRE HUB.COM.
ALSO, PLEASE REACH OUT BY GOING TO READY CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG AND ASK US TO COME TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO COME TO YOUR COMMUNITY GROUP, TO COME TO YOUR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION AND MAKE A PRESENTATION WITH REGARD TO WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS.
AND WITH THAT, I'M PLEASED TO TURN IT OVER, AS I SAID TO MY PARTNER IN SO MANY THINGS, BUT REALLY INCLUDING THIS ISSUE RELATED TO WILDFIRE THAT WE CARE SO DEEPLY ABOUT TRAVIS COUNTY, JUDGE ANDY BROWN.
UM, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WHEN DANGEROUSLY DRY CONDITIONS OCCUR AROUND THE COUNTY, AROUND TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS, OUR HOMES AND OUR BUSINESSES ARE IN CONSTANT DANGER, AND THE RISK OF WILDFIRE IS ALWAYS PRESENT, AND WE NEED TO PREPARE ACCORDINGLY.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.
I'M GLAD THAT THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT ACTED THIS WEEK AND DIRECTED STAFF TO UPDATE THE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN.
THIS IS PART OF A PROCESS THAT WAS ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE HEALTHY FOREST RE RESTORATION ACT OF 2003.
A COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN AS COLLABORATIVE MUST INCLUDE LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL STAKEHOLDERS.
OUR UPDATED PLAN WILL MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SET PRIORITIES FOR ACTION.
IT'S GONNA PROVIDE A STRATEGIC ROADMAP, ROADMAP FOR MAKING OUR COMMUNITIES SAFER.
AND WITH THIS UPDATED COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN, WE'LL RECEIVE RECOMMENDATIONS AND PRIORITIES FOR ACTION FROM THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE PUBLIC ON THE FRONT LINES.
THEY'LL PROVIDE US WITH A STRATEGIC ROADMAP FOR MAKING COMMUNITIES IN OUR COUNTY SAFER.
SPECIFICALLY, THIS PLAN WILL ASSESS AND MAP CURRENT WILDFIRE HAZARDS, VULNERABILITIES, AND EXPOSURES ACROSS THE COUNTY.
IT'LL IDENTIFY COMMUNITY PRIORITIES AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES THROUGH STRUCTURED PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.
IT WILL CLARIFY ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND COORDINATION STRUCTURES ACROSS AGENCIES AND JURISDICTIONS.
AND IT WILL SUPPORT ELIGIBILITY FOR STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION PROJECTS.
IT WILL ALSO ALIGN WILDFIRE MITIGATION WITH LAND USE DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING, AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE PRACTICES.
SO WE NEED THE PUBLIC'S FEEDBACK TO HELP US IN THAT PROCESS.
AND YOUR FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THAT PROCESS FOR THE COUNTY IS ON NOVEMBER 19TH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A VIRTUAL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT MEETING, AND HOPEFULLY YOU CAN ATTEND IF YOU WANT TO.
IF YOU, UH, CANNOT, THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOR THIS, SUCH AS AN ONLINE SURVEY.
UM, YESTERDAY I WAS IN BLANCO COUNTY, WHICH IS OUR NEIGHBOR, UH, OPENING UP A NEW STAR FLIGHT LANDING PAD AND, AND, UH, PLACES WHERE PEOPLE THAT WORK ON STAR FLIGHT AND IN THE ESDS IN BLANCO COUNTY CAN WORK AND SPEND THE NIGHT IF THEY NEED TO, THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND IT JUST UNDERSCORED THE FACT THAT WE'VE STAR FLIGHT, WHICH IS WE'VE GOT THREE HELICOPTERS THAT THE COUNTY PROVIDES FOR THE COUNTY, BUT WE ALSO HELP IN COUNTIES AROUND US, OBVIOUSLY DOES A LOT OF MEDICAL MISSIONS, BUT ONE PART THAT IT DOES VERY IMPORTANTLY IS, UH, PUTTING OUT FIRES BEFORE THEY BECOME WILDFIRES.
SO THE STAR FLIGHT HAS THESE TWO DIFFERENT BAGS, ONE THAT CAN DIP INTO PEOPLE'S SWIMMING POOLS OR A LAKE OR WHATEVER, ONE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT BIGGER CALLED THE PUMPKIN THAT WE FILL UP AT THE STAR FLIGHT HANGAR BEFORE GOING OUT.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IS NOT JUST FIGHTING WILDFIRES WHEN THERE ARE WILDFIRES, BUT
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PREVENTING THEM.AND SO DOING THE THINGS THAT THE MAYOR MENTIONED, HELPING US WITH THIS SURVEY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND THEN SUPPORTING OUR, OUR ESDS AND OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AS THEY TRY TO GET TO FIRES IMMEDIATELY.
YOU CAN PUT OUT A SMALL FIRE A LOT BETTER THAN YOU CAN PUT OUT A BIG FIRE.
AND SO THAT'S PART OF WHAT STARLIGHT IS WORKING ON WITH BLANCO COUNTY.
UM, IT'S ALSO IN THE FIRES THAT WE'VE HAD HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, THEY HAVE NOT BECOME WILDFIRES, IN PART BECAUSE A SPARK STARTED THEM, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH AUSTIN, WITH THE ESDS AND EVERYBODY TO PUT THEM OUT QUICKLY.
AND SO IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT, THAT WE PROVIDE THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO ALL THESE FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND FIRST RESPONDERS, BECAUSE THAT IS THE WAY THAT WE PREVENT A BIGGER DISASTER.
UM, LIKE THE MAYOR I MENTIONED, I SIGNED A DISASTER, A PREEMPTIVE DISASTER DECLARATION LAST MONTH TO ENABLE TRAVIS COUNTY TO PROACTIVELY ACCESS RESOURCES, STREAMLINE EMERGENCY COORDINATION, AND REINFORCE WILDFIRE PREVENTION EFFORTS.
AND AGAIN, JUST GONNA REITERATE, EVERYBODY NEEDS TO DO THEIR PART.
SO STAY MINDFUL OF LOCAL BURN BANDS.
ONE OF OUR FIRES WAS ACTUALLY CAUSED BY SOMEONE VIOLATING OUR BURN BAND.
UH, AVOID OUTDOOR BURNING GENERALLY IN THIS DRY, IN THESE DRY CONDITIONS THAT WE HAVE.
USE CAUTION WITH OUTDOOR VEHICLES.
JUST DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT'S GONNA CREATE SPARKS.
IF YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING LIKE MOWING THAT MIGHT MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WAY TO PUT, PUT OUT THOSE FIRES THAT THAT COULD GET STARTED.
UM, LIKE THE MAYOR MENTIONED, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG.
UM, AND JUST TO WRAP UP, PREVENTING WILDFIRES IS A COMMUNITY WIDE EFFORT, AND IT STARTS WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.
LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO KEEP OUR NEIGHBORS PROPERTY AND NATURAL RESOURCES SAFE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DOING YOUR PART.
AND I THINK CHIEF PERKINS, WHICH JIM OKAY.
WILDFIRE IS ONE OF OUR HIGHEST PROBABILITY, HIGHEST IMPACT DISASTERS.
SO MY NAME IS JIM REDDICK, UH, DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HERE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, FORMERLY KNOWN AS HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, NOW, AUSTIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
UM, SO WILDFIRE IS OUR HIGH PROBABILITY, HIGH IMPACT THREAT, AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE PLANS THAT ARE UNIFIED IN NATURE AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN.
SO IT'S MY PLEASURE TO REPRESENT THE MANY DEPARTMENTS THAT GO INTO THIS PLANNING PROCESS.
IT'S NOT JUST EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, IT'S OBVIOUSLY FIRE, IT'S LAW ENFORCEMENT, IT'S EMS, IT'S PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION, BUT LIKE THE JUDGE AND THE MAYOR SAID, IT'S, IT'S ALSO THE COMMUNITY.
WE'RE NOT WRITING THESE PLANS FOR THE COMMUNITY.
WE'RE WRITING THEM WITH THE COMMUNITY.
SO THE, THE TALKS THAT WE HAD IN DISTRICT 10, WE WANT TO HAVE THAT WITH EVERYBODY BECAUSE IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE REAL DISCUSSIONS ON WHAT REALLY HAPPENS DURING WILDFIRES AND WHAT PEOPLE CAN EXPECT AND WHEN THEY RECEIVE AN EVACUATION ORDER, THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ADHERE TO THAT AND BE READY TO GO AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE, BECAUSE WILDFIRE CAN BE A VERY QUICKLY DEVELOPING INCIDENT.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WHO, UM, LIVE IN THOSE THREATENED AREAS ARE SAFE AND HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO GO AND, AND, AND REALLY ARE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THOSE TYPES OF SCENARIOS.
SO WE ESTABLISH A UNITY OF EFFORT AMONG ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND PARTNER AGENCIES LIKE THE RED CROSS, LIKE, UM, CAP METRO AND, AND SO MANY OTHERS.
AND YOU NEED TO BE PART OF THAT UNITY OF EFFORT AS WELL.
SO IT'S MY PLEASURE TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE A NEW WILDFIRE PLAN.
UM, A FUNCTIONAL, OR EXCUSE ME, A HAZARD SPECIFIC ANNEX THAT GOES WAY MUCH DEEPER INTO THE FIRE FOLKS PUTTING THE WET STUFF ON THE HOT STUFF, RIGHT? IT'S OUR OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN THE COMPLEXITIES, THE DIFFERENT PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE INVOLVED, WHERE FOLKS COULD EXPECT TO GO IF ASKED TO ORDER, OR WHAT IT MEANS TO SHELTER IN PLACE.
AND THE FACT THAT THERE WOULD BE FIRE FOLKS WITH YOU IF THAT WAS THE, THE TACTICAL DECISION TO MAKE.
SO OUR PHILOSOPHY IS IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE PLAN, THEN YOU'RE NOT GONNA KNOW HOW TO RESPOND WHEN THE TIME COMES.
AND SO WE WANT TO DEVELOP THAT PLAN WITH YOU.
WE WANT TO CHALLENGE THAT PLAN WITH YOU.
AND THROUGH THOSE TALKS LIKE WE HAD A DISTRICT 10, WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR CONCERNS AS WELL, BECAUSE WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T PRETEND TO HAVE A MONOPOLY ON ALL THE GOOD IDEAS.
WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR LIVED EXPERIENCES, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE, WHETHER YOU'RE MOBILITY CHALLENGED, OR WHETHER THE ACCESS TO AND FROM YOUR LOCATION, UM, IS, IS ACCESSIBLE OR NOT.
AND, AND TALK ABOUT THOSE WORST CASE SCENARIOS.
SO THE ALL HAZARD, EXCUSE ME, THE WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN, UM, ALLOWS US TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THOSE AS WELL AS, UM, THE EVACUATION ORDERS AND, AND WHAT THAT MEANS.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER ANNEX THAT WE DEVELOPED, AGAIN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT, EMS, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, TRANSPORTATION AND, AND THE LIKE, WHAT THAT MEANS WHEN YOU RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION, HOW YOU'RE GONNA RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION WHETHER TO EVACUATE OR SHELTER IN PLACE, WHERE YOU WOULD GO AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
WE HAVE A NEW ANNEX, UH, FOR THE WILDFIRE PLAN.
AND WE'RE, IT'S PART OF OUR OVERHAUL OF ALL OF OUR
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EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLANS, WHICH AGAIN, WE WANT TO WORK AND DEVELOP WITH YOU TO MAKE ACCESSIBLE TO YOU ONLINE.UM, AND AGAIN, ESTABLISH THAT UNITY OF EFFORT THAT'S THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, THROUGHOUT AUSTIN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ONE COMMUNITY, ONE TEAM, ONE FIGHT, AND ONE PLAN.
SO MY MESSAGE IS THAT OUR PLAN IS YOUR PLAN IS THE COMMUNITY'S PLAN.
AND THROUGH THOSE PLANNING PROCESSES AND TESTS AND CHALLENGES AND EXERCISES, WE'RE GONNA BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING THAT COMES OUR WAY, NATURAL OR MANMADE.
WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO CHIEF PERKINS FROM, UH, PFLUGERVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I'M THE FIRE CHIEF AT TRAVIS COUNTY, ESD NUMBER TWO, BETTER KNOWN AS THE PFLUGERVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UH, WANTED TO REEMPHASIZE, UH, AS THE JUDGE MENTIONED, WE ARE UNDER A BURN BAN.
UM, AND SO WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH OUR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER WHAT THE FOREST SERVICE REMINDS US.
THAT NINE OUT OF, UH, 10 WILDFIRES ARE CAUSED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY.
AND WE WANNA EMPHASIZE THE SIMPLE STEPS THAT YOU CAN TAKE, UM, AT YOUR HOME TO HARDEN YOUR HOME, TO MAKE IT MORE SURVIVABLE.
UM, WE HAVE A FLAME INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IN, THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR ALL OF EASTERN TRAVIS OR TRAVIS COUNTY THAT WE'VE STARTED IN EASTERN TRAVIS COUNTY, THAT EMPHASIZES TAKING SIMPLE STEPS THAT WE CAN ALL, UH, ACHIEVE IN OUR HOMES, UH, TO MAKING IT MORE SURVIVABLE.
AND YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE, PFLUGERVILLE FIRE.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THAT.
FROM A FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSPECTIVE, WE ARE COORDINATING DAILY.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND ESDS, UH, ARE, ARE, ARE READY FOR THESE EMERGENCIES.
AS WE SAID TO YOU LAST TIME, UH, WE WORK WITH OUR LOCAL PARTNERS, WHICH INCLUDE STAR FLIGHT, TRAVIS COUNTY PARKS, AS WELL AS THE FOREST SERVICE.
AND LIKE THE JUDGE SAID, OUR ABILITY TO BRING ALL OF THESE RESOURCES TO BEAR WHEN THESE FIRES START ALLOWS US TO KEEP THEM, UH, CONTAINED, UH, AND NOT SPREAD TO THESE, THESE LARGER SITUATIONS.
AND SO, AGAIN, WE REMAIN READY, BUT WE'RE REALLY ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC'S HELP IN ALL OF THIS.
AND SO, UH, AS WAS MENTIONED, THERE IS A PUBLIC, UH, OPTION FOR INPUT COMING UP ON THE COMMITTEE, WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN.
AND WE REALLY WANNA ENCOURAGE, I REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT PROCESS.
UH, THIS IS ALL PART OF THE NATIONAL COHESIVE STRATEGY, UM, AND THAT EMPHASIZES A RESILIENT LANDSCAPE, A PREPARED WILDFIRE RESPONSE, BUT PROBABLY MOST IMPORTANTLY, UH, IS A PREPARED PUBLIC.
AND WE WANT YOU TO BEGIN UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LIVE WITH FIRE AND BEING ADAPTED TO LIVE WITH FIRE.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO DO, UH, AND WE WANT TO DO IT TOGETHER.
UM, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR YOU.
I'LL TURN IT TO THE NEXT SPEAKER.
UM, LET ME, UH, SAY THANKS TO THE, THE FOLKS THAT, UH, SPOKE TO YOU TODAY.
AND, AND, AND I WANT TO EMPHASIZE SOMETHING.
UM, WE HAVE HIGHLY, HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE HELPING US NOT ONLY PUT TOGETHER THESE PLANS AND THESE APPROACHES, BUT ALSO HELPING INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITY GROUPS, UH, AND INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLDS, UH, WITH REGARD TO WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS.
UH, I HOPE YOU SEE THAT IN THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT SPOKE TO YOU TODAY.
I, I, I JUST CAN'T EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH.
I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MARK UCHIN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN REPRESENTS DISTRICT 10, WHICH WE'VE MENTIONED A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND, UH, AND, AND TALKED ABOUT WHAT A GOOD EVENT THAT WAS AND ACTUALLY SERVES AS THE KICKOFF OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
SO I, I WANNA SAY HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE HIM, UH, BEING SO SUPPORTIVE OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE DOING.
THIS IS ONE OF HIS PRIORITIES, AND, AND, AND IT'S, IT'S DEEPLY APPRECIATED.
WE'RE ALSO JOINED BY JOHN FORTUNE, UH, WHO'S IN THE ROOM.
UH, MR. FORTUNE IS THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER.
UH, AND WE ALWAYS FEEL LIKE WE HAVE FULL SUPPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND, AND THROUGH, UM, JOHN FORTUNE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MOVING IN THE DIRECTION WE NEED TO MOVE.
UH, HERE, I JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE ONE MORE TIME THAT WE CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE WANT YOU PARTICIPATING BY GIVING FEEDBACK WITH REGARD TO THE PLANNING PROCESS.
UH, YOU'VE HEARD THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN TODAY, AND WE WANT YOU TO INVITE THESE PROFESSIONALS OUT TO HELP EDUCATE YOU, YOUR STREET, YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOUR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, YOUR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, AND WE ARE SET UP.
AND SO, AGAIN, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE, PLEASE GO TO READY CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG AND ASK FOR A PRESENTATION.
AND IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WILDFIRE RISK GENERALLY, GO TO ATX WILDFIRE HUB.COM.
AND THEN IF YOU WANT TO GET, UH, REPORTS OF THINGS THAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING, UH, EMERGENCIES OR DISASTERS, AND I HOPE YOU WANT TO DO THAT, GO TO WARREN.
AND THAT'S WARN, WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG.
AND WITH THAT, WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE MEDIA, THOUGH, UH,
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WE COULDN'T GET THIS MESSAGE OUT WITHOUT YOU ALL CARING ENOUGH TO BE HERE AND PUTTING IT OUT.SO THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE.
BUT, UM, ANY ONE OF US WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS.
UH, THE 20 ACRE FIRE YOU MENTIONED, IF YOU WANNA SPEAK, WAS THAT HUMAN CAUSE I, I'LL GET SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS MORE ABOUT THAT.
IT'S STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.
SO THE ANSWER IS IT'S STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.
WHEN YOU GUYS ARE COMING UP WITH THESE PLANS, DOES THAT INCLUDE DESIGNATING SPECIFIC BUILDINGS THAT WOULD BE EVACUATION POINTS IF FIREWOOD? I DON'T, I'M GONNA HAVE JIM GIVE YOU SOME DETAIL ON THAT BECAUSE HE'S, HE'S THE LEAD ON THAT.
UM, SO IT'S GONNA BE SITUATION DEPENDENT WHERE WHEREVER THE WILDFIRE STARTS, THE, THE WIND SPEEDS, THE WIND DIRECTIONS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO THE RESPONDERS ON SCENE WILL DETERMINE WHAT STRATEGIES NEED TO BE TAKEN.
UH, AND THEN YES, WE WILL START NOTIFYING FOLKS, UM, THROUGH, THROUGH THE EVERBRIDGE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE, AS WELL AS, UM, WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.
UM, SO WE WILL NOTIFY THOSE FOLKS WITH A QUICKNESS AS FAR AS NOT ONLY WHO NEEDS TO EVACUATE, BUT WHERE WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO GO.
IF YOU DON'T MIND, EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE EVERBRIDGE SYSTEM SO THAT PEOPLE WILL KNOW THAT SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE.
AND THEN AGAIN, HE'S GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT EVERBRIDGE BECAUSE THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL THAT WE HAVE TO LET PEOPLE KNOW.
BUT AGAIN, WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG IS, IN MY OPINION, THE BEST WAY FOR PEOPLE TO STAY UP TO, TO DATE ON THINGS THAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING.
SO, YES, WARRANT, SO WE'RE, NOW, WE'RE AN ALERTING AUTHORITY, RIGHT? WHICH MEANS THAT WE CAN SEND AN ALERT VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU WOULD RECEIVE WITH AN AMBER ALERT OR SOME SORT OF WEATHER WARNING.
WE'RE ABLE TO SEND THAT TO SIT, UH, TO FOLKS THAT ARE IN THAT VULNERABLE AREA THAT WE NEED TO EVACUATE AIR FOR LIFESAVING MESSAGES.
SO YOU WOULD KNOW WHAT THE THREAT IS, WHO THE MESSAGE IS COMING FROM, BUT ALSO WHAT ACTION WE NEED YOU TO TAKE, INCLUDING WHERE TO GO.
UM, AND, AND A LINK TO WHERE YOU CAN GET MORE INFORMATION.
AND THAT MORE INFORMATION IS WARN CENTRAL TEXAS.
SO THE FCC REGULATES FOR HOW MANY MESSAGES OR WHAT TYPES OF MESSAGES.
WE CAN SEND OUT LIFESAVING MESSAGES.
AGAIN, WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS ALLOWS US TO KEEP YOU UPDATED ALL THROUGHOUT THE INCIDENT.
SO WE'RE GONNA TELL YOU IF THERE'S GONNA BE A TEMPORARY ASSEMBLY POINT WHERE THAT TEMPORARY ASSEMBLY POINT IS, UH, OR WHERE THEY ARE IF THERE'S MULTIPLE ONES.
AND SO THAT'S OUR WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU THROUGHOUT AND GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO KNOW WHERE YOU CAN GET ANSWERS WHEN YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, THE, SO WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS IS DEPENDENT ON SUBSCRIPTIONS.
UM, AND THERE'S NOT A REALLY HIGH SUBSCRIPTION RATE.
SO WE ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO REGISTER FOR WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS, EVERBRIDGE, UM, THE, THE IPAS, THE, UM, INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT, THE WARNING SYSTEM SLASH WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERT, THE, THE, THE AMBER ALERTS.
AND SO THOSE ARE NOT BASED ON SUBSCRIPTION.
THOSE ARE BASED ON CELL TOWER LOCATIONS.
SO YOU DON'T, NOT, YOU DON'T NEED TO SUBSCRIBE.
UH, IF YOU'RE A VISITOR TO THE AREA, YOU'RE GONNA RECEIVE THOSE MESSAGES.
UH, AND AGAIN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MEANT TO GET YOUR ATTENTION WITH A UNIQUE RING TONE OR VIBRATION, UH, WITH ACTIONABLE INFORMATION TO, TO, TO RESPOND TO WHATEVER THAT ORDER MIGHT BE.
BUT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE, DON'T JUST RELY THAT THAT'S, THAT, THAT'S THE TOOL THAT WE'LL WE'LL USE, BUT PLEASE SIGN UP FOR WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG.
THAT IS, THAT KEEPS YOU BEST UP TO DATE ABOUT WHAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING.
UM, AND ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I'LL SAY ABOUT WHY I, I KEEP, AND I, AND I, I KNOW I'M HARPING ON THIS, BUT I THINK THE JUDGE AGREES WITH ME.
UH, IF YOU TALK ABOUT THE TOP THREE THINGS THAT MIGHT KEEP ME AWAKE AT NIGHT, THAT'S THIS, THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP THREE THINGS THAT KEEPS ME AWAKE AT NIGHT IS SOMETHING LIKE A, A DISASTER OR AN EMERGENCY LIKE THIS HAPPENING AND, AND PEOPLE NOT BEING AWARE AND, AND, AND NOT, AND HOW WE GOING TO, HOW ARE WE GONNA GET THEIR ATTENTION? SO I REALLY DO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY, NOT ONLY TO, TO SIGN UP FOR WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS, AND I'LL KEEP HARPING ON IT, UH, FOREVER, I GUESS.
BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE REASON I'M HARPING SO MUCH ON, I REALLY WANT YOU TO DO LIKE WHAT JUST HAPPENED IN DISTRICT 10 AND MULTIPLE TIMES, UH, THAT'S GONNA GO HAPPEN AGAIN.
BUT WHEN I SAY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, HAVE ONE OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION EVENTS BE ABOUT THIS.
HAVE YOUR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION EVENTS BE ABOUT THIS, HAVE THE COM, YOUR COMMUNITY GROUP.
UH, THE, THE REASON I KEEP HARPING ON THAT IS BECAUSE I WANT PEOPLE TO BE READY IF SOMETHING HAPPENS.
I WANT THEM TO KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO HAVE IN THEIR, TO BE READY IN THEIR HOME IF SOMETHING, UH, GOD FORBID WERE TO HAPPEN.
BUT I ALSO WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ACTION NOW SO THAT THEY AVOID DAMAGE, UH, PART OF NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER.
YOU MAY ASK ABOUT WHY, WHY NOVEMBER EMBER NOVEMBER MOST WILDFIRE, MOST HOUSES, UH, GET THEMSELVES, GET CAUGHT ON FIRE, NOT BECAUSE OF THE WILDFIRE.
THAT'S RIGHT THERE, IT IS BECAUSE OF AN EMBER.
AND THEIR HOUSE HASN'T BEEN, THE WORD IS HARDENED BECAUSE EMBERS CAN TRAVEL.
IT DEPENDS ON, UH, WHO YOU, WHO YOU READ AND WHAT YOU LISTEN
[00:25:01]
TO, BUT A MILE OR MORE.AND SO A, A WILDFIRE OR A FIRE COULD BE SOMEWHERE OFF IN THE DISTANCE A MILE AWAY, AND THAT EMBER SOMEHOW LANDS, UH, YOU'RE UNLUCKY ENOUGH THAT IT LANDS THERE, AND NOW THAT WILDFIRE HAS SPREAD.
YOU NEED TO KNOW THE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT THAT AT YOUR HOME, AND HOW YOU CAN BE PREPARED IF, GOD FORBID, SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS.
SO THAT'S WHY I KEEP HARPING ON THIS.
AND I, I, I GUESS HARPING IS THE RIGHT WORD.
SO ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OBVIOUSLY WITH THE INITIATIVE IS NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER, BUT WILDFIRES DON'T NECESSARILY STICK TO OUR OWN CALENDARS.
SO HOW LONG PAST NOVEMBER SHOULD AUSTINITES BE IN A HEIGHTENED STATE OF AWARENESS ABOUT WILDFIRE? ALWAYS, KEEP IN MIND WHAT I SAID AT THE VERY BEGINNING IS THE, THE REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
UM, NOVEMBER, NO, NO, NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER, NOW, I CAN'T SAY IT.
UH, NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER IS A, A CATCHY WAY TO GET ATTENTION.
BUT THIS IS NOT JUST A NOVEMBER PROBLEM, IT'S, IT, THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO YEAR ROUND.
UH, AND KEEP IN MIND, THE STATISTIC I GAVE WE'RE, WE'RE RANKED NUMBER FIVE FOR THE NUMBER OF HOMES IN THE HIGHEST RISK OF, OF, OF BEING SUBJECT TO WILDFIRE.
THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, IS DOING A LOT.
YOU CAN TELL THE COUNTY IS DOING A LOT AS WELL, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE WE SEE THIS AS SUCH A HIGH PRIORITY AND IT'S YEAR ROUND.
MAYOR, HAVE YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED BUDGET YET? AND DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON IT? WE, HE AND I HAVE TALKED, BUT I'VE NOT SEEN, UM, THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
UM, BUT MY THOUGHTS ON IT, UH, WITHOUT, WITHOUT SEEING IT, UH, AND KEEP IN MIND THAT, THAT I'M SAYING THAT IS THAT, UM, IN TALKING WITH HIM, UH, HE'S DOING WHAT I HOPED WOULD HAVE HAPPENED, WHICH IS THAT HE WOULD BRING FORWARD A PROPOSAL, AND AS I SAID IN MY STATEMENT ON TUESDAY NIGHT, I THOUGHT THAT HE, IF THERE WERE GOING TO BE ANY CHANGE TO HIS BASE PROPOSAL, THE ONE THAT HE BROUGHT US, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BUDGET PROCESS, THAT IT OUGHT TO BE WITHIN THE CONFINES OF, OF THAT, UH, BASE PROPOSAL BASED UPON THINGS THAT WE, WE MAY HAVE LEARNED DURING THE, THE TRE OR INPUT, UH, THAT WE, THAT WE'VE RECEIVED.
BUT IT OUGHT TO BE MODEST CHANGES WITHIN THAT.
UM, AND, AND I, I, WHILE I HAVE NOT LOOKED AT THE DETAIL OF WHAT HE PUT OUT TODAY, UH, IN TALKING WITH HIM, THAT'S WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BE.
UH, I NOW THINK THAT THE NEXT STEP, AND I, I PUT OUT A STATEMENT YESTERDAY, UH, ON THE MESSAGE BOARD AND IN MY, UH, UH, I HOPE WEEKLY, UH, UH, NEWSLETTER WA THE WATSON WIRE, I LAID OUT A PROCESS, UH, FOR US.
AND, AND I, AND I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE A DISCIPLINED, UH, PROCESS FOR NOW ASSESSING THAT BUDGET.
AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE, UH, A STABLE STRUCTURED PROCESS AS WELL.
SO WHAT WE WILL DO IS ON THE 13TH, WE WILL BE POSTED FOR, AND WE WILL CONDUCT A WORK SESSION ON THE MANAGER'S, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET.
UH, WE WILL THEN HAVE, UH, UH, ONE ADDITIONAL WORK SESSION, UH, THE, THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY, I THINK IT IS, AND THEN BE PREPARED HOPEFULLY TO, UH, SOON AFTER THAT ON THAT THURSDAY.
AND I DON'T HAVE THE DATES IN FRONT OF ME AND, BUT, BUT THE, THE, WE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE.
WE ARE ALSO GOING TO POST ADDITIONAL SPECIAL CALLED MEETINGS IN CASE WE NEED THOSE BECAUSE WE WANNA BE THOUGHTFUL, UH, WHILE BEING EFFICIENT AND STRUCTURED IN WHAT WE DO.
BUT HERE'S THE POINT I WANNA MAKE.
I THINK THE COUNCIL ALSO NEEDS TO BE DISCIPLINED IN THE WAY WE APPROACH THAT.
AND IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE CHANGES IN THAT PROPOSAL, THOSE ALSO OUGHT TO BE MODEST CHANGES TO THAT.
I DON'T THINK THIS IS THE TIME.
I THINK THE MESSAGE OF THIS WEEK, UH, IS, IS PRETTY CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR US TO ENGAGE IN, UH, IN, IN DIVISIVE, UH, DISCUSSIONS AND, AND, AND RE-LITIGATE, UH, THINGS THAT, THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN DECIDED OR DEALT WITH TIME AGO.
WE HAVE VERY CLEAR MARCHING ORDERS, I THINK, FROM THE PUBLIC ON HOW THEY EXPECT US TO APPROACH THIS.
SO I'M VERY PLEASED THAT THE MANAGER ACTED PROMPTLY.
UH, THAT'S, THAT, THAT I THINK IS APPROPRIATE AND I, I'M PLEASED WITH THAT.
AND NOW THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO, UH, WORKING WITH HIM AND WORKING THROUGH THESE, UH, PUBLIC MEETINGS, UH, MOVE FORWARD IN THE SAME WAY MATURELY IN A DISCIPLINED WAY.
ALL RIGHT, FOLKS, THANK Y'ALL VERY, VERY MUCH.